Effective advertising and furnishing 'can attract good tenants'

Purchasing buy-to-let properties in the current climate is all well and good given the continued demand for housing in the private rental sector, but it's not guaranteed to result in success - there are still risks involved in the investment process.

So while buying in the right areas, offering competitive rent prices and protecting assets with landlord insurance policies are all important, so too is the way that you advertise and furnish your properties.

That's according to James Davis, chief executive officer of Upad, who says that landlords need to look at how they go about trying to make their properties stand out ahead of the competition.

"Landlords need to be aware that 92 per cent of clients are looking online for their next rental property," he said.

"When you are looking for a new tenant and advertising your property, you need to make sure that you are advertising your property on every possible website in the UK."

Given that the vast majority of prospective tenants search online for housing, it seems that investors need to have a presence on the web if they're going to ensure their assets are as well advertised as possible.

Indeed, landlords who decide against advertising on the internet are likely to lose out to their competitors if their properties are less visible to people searching for rented accommodation.

But as well as considering the way in which they market their assets, Mr Davis also advises that providing additional furnishings can be an effective means of making properties more appealing to tenants.

"I think it is always important to have some unique selling points, some USPs. By throwing in a cleaner or having Wi-Fi you can create big draws where the cost of it is far outweighed by the amount of enquiries you will get," he added.